In human anatomy, the foramen of Winslow, also known as the epiploic foramen and foramen epiploicum (Latin), is the passage of communication, or foramen, between the greater sac, the general cavity (of the abdomen), and the lesser sac, the omental bursa. It is bounded anteriorly by the free border of the lesser omentum, with the common bile duct, hepatic artery, and portal vein between its two layers; behind by the peritoneum covering the inferior vena cava; above by the peritoneum on the caudate lobe of the liver, and below by the peritoneum covering the commencement of the duodenum and the hepatic artery, the latter passing forward below the foramen before ascending between the two layers of the lesser omentum.

Adapted from Gray's Anatomy 1918 version.

See also

• Terms for anatomical location

External links

• Epiploic foramen - Gray's Anatomy
• Foramen of Winslow - The Encyclopaedia of Medical Imaging Volume II

General surgery | Abdomen | Eponymous anatomical structures